We Come Here to Honor Quan Âm — Re-Centering Buddhism in Houston, TX

While just about everyone is pouring over the numbers regarding “nones” and “Christians” in the newest Pew Research Center “Religious Landscape” Survey I am taking a look at a few of the “other” numbers and data tables here at KenChitwood.com. The story of religion in the U.S. is not only about Christianity and the “nones,” but the growing plurality of faiths that are becoming, and already are, thoroughly American religions in many ways — including Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and neo-Paganism to name a few.

This time around I am interested in what the survey has to say about Buddhism. It seems that Buddhists have not grown much over the last decade, maintaining their hold on about 0.7% of the population. While they have experienced growth, many Buddhists have also become part of the nebulous “none” category as well. Buddhists seem to be the most diverse when it comes to interfaith marriage and are also racially diverse. What is also evident is that Buddhism is still largely an immigrant faith. Finally, while nearly half of all Buddhists in the U.S. (45%) reside in the “West” region of the country, the next largest contingent live in the U.S. South (23%).